4th Phantom
The 4th Phantom was the 4th person in the line of secession to have taken The Oath of the Skull, and thus, assumed the mantle of The Phantom. Like his father before him, and his father, he committed his life to end piracy, injustice and cruelty. History The story of the 4th Phantom begins with his father, Kitridge Walker, the 3rd Phantom. After being born in the Skull Cave in Bangalla, he began the brutal training in order to one day assume the mantle of the next Phantom. When his father reached maturity, young Kit was sent to his mother's homeland in England, to attend school and learn how to be a gentleman in polite society. By the time Kit reached 18 years of age, he decided to ran away from school and join the famous English playwright, Shakespeare, in order to become an actor. It was during this time that he met, and fell in love with, Rosamunda, Shakespeare's niece. With her uncle's blessing the two wed. Rosamunda became pregnant with Kit's child, but tragically, she was poisoned after she gave birth to the future 4th Phantom in 1604, and died. Kit's son was left in the care of his mother's family. In 1609, Kitridge Walker returned to Bangalla, after receiving news that his father lay close to death. Just before his father died, he took The Oath of the Skull and assumed his family's legacy as the 3rd Phantom. Not long after he assumed the duties as the protector of Bangalla, he returned back to England, in order to reunite with his son and take him back to his true home, in Bangalla. Here, he began the same brutal training regimen all future Phantoms had to undergo in order to obtain the necessary skills to someday assume the mantle as the next Phantom. When young Kit reached adolescence, he too, was sent to England to obtain a proper education. But like his father before him, he also ran away from school, intent on becoming a Maltese Knight of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, after hearing stories about his great-grandfather, Christopher Kitridge Walker (the 1st Phantom) who was present during the defense of Malta against the Ottoman Turks. He was later knighted as a member of their order for his valiant actions. During his sojourn into the outside world, young Kit wound up in trouble and eventually found himself a slave, and was held in captivity for two years, until he was rescued by his father. Before he reached adulthood, he swore The Oath of the Skull and became the acting Phantom when it was believed the 3rd Phantom had been killed by a medicine man of Wambalu. However, his father eventually returned to assume the mantle, and young Kit was able to return to school in England. In 1625, when he reached the age of 21, he swore The Oath of the Skull one final time, following the death of his father when he was killed by a jungle tribe. Marriage The same year he assumed the mantle as the 4th Phantom, Kit met and fell in love with an English woman (who is not mentioned in his chronicle), who had relatives in Nottingham. They were married and she became pregnant with his son. Tragically, she died in childbirth in 1626, when she gave birth to their son, the future 5th Phantom. The Ring of Death In 1631, the 4th Phantom lost the Skull Ring to Brother Capistrano of the Jesuit Order. He had a replica of the original ring made in Leipzig, Germany. After this disastrous loss of his family's legacy, the 4th Phantom spent many years in search for the missing ring, but never found it. During his continuous search for the Skull Ring, he met Cardinal Giovanni of the Roman Catholic Church of Rome. It turned out that the 'Cardinal' was, in fact, a woman, and the two began a torrid love affair, and she became pregnant with the 4th Phantom's second child. Tragically, she was also poisoned, which caused both her's and her unborn daughter's death. They were both buried in the crypt in the Skull Cave. Death The 4th Phantom's ultimate fate is unknown and it is not recorded when he exactly died, but due to the dangerous nature of the duties carried out by The Phantom, it is possible he did not live into old age. Other Versions Version According to Sunday Strip According to the weekly syndicated Sunday Strip written by Lee Falk, he indicated that the 4th Phantom married Princess Pura, although this has also been attributed to the 3rd Phantom. Version According to Moonstone According to Moonstone, the 4th Phantom succeeded his father in 1625. Version According to Bastei According to Bastiel, the 4th Phantom was born in 1610, succeeded his father in 1639 and died in 1671. He also had a wolf companion named Devil. In the year 1651, he married an English woman named Aretha. They had three children; two daughters and a son name Kit, who later became the 5th Phantom. Abilities *'Olympic Level Athlete' *'Agility' *'Animal Control' *'Escape Artist' *'Expert Tracker' *'Leadership' *'Expert Marksmanship' *'Swordsmanship' *'Unarmed Combat' *'Weapon Master' Weapons & Equipment *'Phantom Suit' *'Domino Mask' - A small rounded mask that covers the area around the eyes and the space between them. *'Skull Ring' - He utilizes this ring as a means to leave a bad mark (known as a 'Skull Mark') upon a criminal, to permanently mark them as an unsavory person. *'Leather Belt' *'Pair of British Naval Flintlock Pistols' *'Dagger' - A dagger is hidden in one of the boots of The Phantom. See Also *'Lineage of The Phantom' *'3rd Phantom' Category:Characters Category:Comic Characters Category:The Phantom